Treatment of mercaptan containing material



Patented May 30, 1939 TREATWNT F IVERCAPTAN CONTAINING MATERIAL Jersey No Drawing.

Application August 16, 1937,

Serial No. 159,317

4 Claims.

- such as gasoline, natural gas, coal and wood distillation products, etc., are occasioned by the presence of certain mercaptans, particularly alkyl products.

It has now been discovered that objectionable odorscan be removed by introducing into a mercaptan-containing substance a small amount of glucose together with a mineral acid catalyst.

Apparently what happens is a quantitative combination between the glucose and the thio compounds wherein the undesirable mercaptan combines with the glucose, yielding a glucose mercaptan, the latter of which has the distinguishing characteristic of being relatively free from the objectionable odors of other mercaptans.

A specific example of the use of this method in naphtha scrubbing is as follows:

To 100 parts of naphtha containing substantially 1% of ethyl mercaptans, were added 2 parts dextrose and 2 parts of 1.19 specific gravity hydrochloric acid. Upon stirring this mixture at room temperature the glucose mercaptan, being insoluble in naphtha, precipitated out and the obnoxious odors substantiallydisappeared.

The process is particularly adaptable for the removal of ill-smelling mercaptans from water immiscible liquids for the reason that with liquids of this type the glucose mercaptan is formed, during the process, in a water medium from the water present in the acid catalyst and, as a consequence, is insoluble and filterable.

Similar results will be obtained by treating, in like manner, other hydrocarbons containing mercaptans such as gasoline and coal tar products. Other mineral acids, such as sulfuric acid, for example, may be employed as a catalyst if 5 desired.

The above example is, therefore, merely illustrative and it is intended to cover all modifications or uses within the scope of the following claims.

I "claim:

1. Method of reducing the undesirable odor in hydrocarbons containing mercaptans which comprises mixing with said hydrocarbons small amounts of glucose and 'a mineral acid catalyst 15 to change the odoriferous mercaptan to an innocuous glucose mercaptan.

2. Method of reducing the undesirable odor in hydrocarbons containing mercaptans which comprises mixing with substantially parts of said hydrocarbons substantially 2 parts of dextrose solution and substantially 2 parts mineral acid catalyst.

3. Method of treating naphtha to remove the mercaptan odors therefrom which comprises mixing with 100 parts naphtha containing sub stantially 1% mercaptan, 2 parts of dextrose and 2 parts of 1.19 specific gravity hydrochloric acid to precipitate the odoriferous mercaptan as a glucose mercaptan. so

4. Method of reducing the. undesirable odor in water-immiscible hydrocarbons containing mercaptans which comprises mixing therewith glucose and a mineral acid catalyst to convert the odoriferous mercaptans to insoluble glucose mercaptans and then filtering oft the glucose mercaptans.

HAROLD E. BODE. 

